Page 8 of Protecting Charity

“You don’t want to see him without his leash,” Elias said.

“Actually, I might get a kick out of it.” I plucked up some napkins and threw them at the dog-man. “Clean up your mess, Pooch.”

Purposely antagonizing someone of his size wasn’t necessarily a wise choice, but I had a tendency to enjoy dangerous recreational activities. Luca locked me in a basement for two days with nothing to do but stare at the wall, so for me to enjoy a little trouble right off the bat shouldn’t be that surprising.

Elias put his hand on the brute’s shoulder, reeling him in.

“Not much of a bodyguard when you have to stop him from making shortsighted decisions. Am I right?”

“Keep poking the bear, Charity. It won’t be pretty.”

I laughed. “You know, I’ve heard that before, and I still enjoy doing it.” I leaned forward and placed an elbow on the table. “If you think your dog here scares me or what he thinks he is capable of doing, you’re mistaken. I bet he has a bite as fierce as a painted poodle. We can find out next time.” I smiled. “But I’m gonna have to call a rain check on this one, boys. I have so much to get done.”

The waitress came back with my box, and I took it from her hands then handed her a twenty. “Keep the change, dear.” Dear? Ugh, I sounded like my mother.

“Thank you,” she said before hurrying away from the table.

As she raced away, I stood and made a move to go. Elias’ hand lashed out and wrapped his tight grip around my arm that held the knife, halting me in my tracks. My blade found his armpit, and I pushed it into his suit.

There was a major artery that ran through this portion of the underarm, and if I nicked it, even a little, he would bleed out in minutes. It was a real gusher, so close to the heart.

“This isn’t over,” he said as he withdrew his hand from my arm.

“It is. Come near me again, and I won’t be such a warm host.”

“You’ll be a cold, dead one,” said the beast.

“Don’t tease me, Pooch.”

I stepped out and sought a place to put my sandwich and came out empty-handed. Why did I have to drive my motorcycle today? When I finally realized it wouldn’t happen, I opened it, then took a massive bite and threw the rest at the window where the assholes sat in the booth watching me. Fuckers owed me a BLT. I waved with my middle finger and noticed Pooch had his gun drawn in his lap. I laughed. I rattled him enough to think he needed to use a weapon against me.

Revving my engine, I sped off around the block and found a pay-phone to call in an important missing detail the FBI would be so happy to hear about.

I pulled on my gloves, then found an unused tissue from my pocket, and I dialed the three iconic numbers.

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”

I altered my voice with an accent and deepened it. “I found a body in a warehouse.” I gave her the address where I dumped Morgan’s body, pressed the lever to end the call, and then wiped everything down. You can never be too careful these days.

Sometimes, the police needed a little nudge in the right direction.

My thoughts trailed back to the two men in the diner. How did they know my name or location? However, they made me want to tie up loose ends… like finding that fucking witness outside of Jose’s house. But what if that was my brother? Hopefully, they were one and the same. It would make my job considerably easier.

Sirens wailed in the not too far off distance, making me grateful that the police weren't too busy to investigate the call of a dead body. I climbed on my bike, ready to ride off to distance myself from more trouble. I didn’t want to be anywhere nearby when they pulled onto the scene.

My phone buzzed with an unnerving sound I hadn’t heard since the installation date. It would appear I have an uninvited guest in my home.

Chapter 5

Max

His abhorrent screams rubbed on my nerves, making me grind my teeth.

My fist connected to the emaciated side of his face, causing his cheekbone to collapse beneath my knuckles. “Where would he have gone?” I asked the bloodstained man at my feet.

“I don’t know.Please.” He held his hand up as if it would cause me to pause my questioning. “Stop.”

One of my associates had a drop five hours ago that he never showed up for. There was no chatter on the streets and no word from him either. He was a goddamn ghost in the wind.

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